What were your symptoms of a heart attack

[westfield60]

Six years ago I had what doctors told me was a massive heart attack. However All i felt was a mild burning sensation in my chest which I wrote off as heart burn. I went to the ER 8 hours later and they told me the ugly truth. What really shocked me was the lack of any of the typical symptoms - I had no heavy chest pain, I had no back pain, I had no jaw pain, I had no left arm pain.

Three weeks ago my mother had a heart attack. Her symptoms were that she was vomiting all day even though she had no food left in her stomach after the first few hurls. We interpreted this as food poisoning and didn't go to the ER about 9 hours later.

My concern is that without the typical symptoms (eg left arm pain and heavy chest pain) most people can really miss a heart attack with deadly results. I am curious as to what your symptoms were so to better educate people out there that heart attacks (even major ones like mine) may not have the traditional symptoms. I think it would be really helpful for people to realize that chest pain is not the only symptom of a heart attack. What did you guys experience?

[RadioAstronomyObserver]

I have a problem with one of my ears, I could hear my heart beat all the time.  Went to bed at 9:-ish and woke up at 11:pm with a heart that was fluttering irregularly with the occasional feeling of the heart trying to push or pull blood but unable to and pain in the back.  There were a couple times I felt I had to, and did, pound on my chest to start the heart beating and then there was the feeling of passing out.  Once at that point "I was told" to lay back down and go to sleep or get up and do something about the heart.  I immediately jumped out of bed and grabbed my brother, who was watching TV at the time, and had him take me to the hospital.  Once there I told the nurse behind the counter something, I think it was just that I need to be checked out and didn't mention the heart but my memory isn't the greatest. I ended up waiting in the ER waiting room for 30 minutes before being seen.  Once there it was a quick procedure to draw blood to verify I was having a heart attack.  I was given Nitro pills for under the tongue and one or two shots of morphine while I waited for an ambulance to take me to another hospital that was more equipped to handle heart problems. (1/2 hour drive).

  The "I was told" was a general feeling of being told, do this -or- that and do it now!

  So...  
Feeling of a fluttering heart/ muscle in the chest.
Feeling of needing to pound on the chest to start the heart.
Back pain as if a generalized back ache but a bit worse.
feeling of needing to pass out.

[cblmn7]

My heart attack wasalmost the same it started about 8pm i thought i was coming down with a cheast cold i put vicks on and went to bed about 11pm i wokeup with a burning in the middle of the chest i took tums because i had chicken fried steak for dinner and thought i had heart burn i went back to bed then about 2am i woke up again and took pepto the only pain i had was the middle of the chest it would go away and i was getting a burning feeling in my throut too so i finally went to er about 330am i told them my symtoms and because i was only 45 and in decent shape they gave me a mylanta coctail that numbed my throut the burning in the middle of my chest was still there so they did a ekg too and then i found out i was having a bad heart attack i went into the cath lab right away and i had 5 stents put in at that time i had 1 artery 100% blocked 3 90% blocked 1 80 % blocked i would have never guessed a heart attack

[pilgrim56]

When I had my MI, I felt a tightness between shoulder blades.  I was 53.  I remember wondering if it was heart attack but dismiss the idea because there was no chest, or neck or arm pressure/pain. While this was going on, I was going up and down stairs with no increase in pain.  I went to ER becuase I thought I had strain a muscle or pinch a nerve. They did X rays, but found nothing. One of the Drs thougth my sypmtons were peculiar and recommended a EKG since I was over 50.  I walked down the hallway to an empty cubicle.  They hook me up to it, ran the EKG and the technican walk away muttering somethings about starting IVs. Suddenly, the curtains parted and  quite few Drs and nurses appear.  They started IVs and gave me pills. I asked what was going on and one Drs said I was having a heart attack.

I read that up to 30% of heart attacks are silent with no symptons. Also, female symptons of a MI can be different than for males. Males typically have the chest pain, etc.  But my symtons were not typical even though I am male.